I was down in Sheffield a few days ago with my husband who was born there. We had some time to spare so visited the cathedral where some of his ancestors where married.

On approaching the building I noticed that many memorial headstones had been laid flat and were being used as a public pavement outside the cathedral area. The general public were walking all over them and as well as damaging them the inscriptions were being eroded. Some of the headstones dated back to the middle 1700s.

As a member of the public and as a family historian I am appalled. I understand that these very old headstones were removed during redevelopment but surely they should have been treated in a more respectful way and moved to a place where they could be safely stored.

What a shocking way for Sheffield to treat its deceased citizens, for their memorials - paid by loved ones - to be disregarded in such a disgraceful way!

June Vasey

By email

Sheffield has serious congestion problems

I was disappointed to read your article about the new arrangements on Broomhall Road. This is an ingenious solution to the rat-running through this part of Broomhall which has been problematic for many years.

Your readers with longer memories will remember the controversy that surrounded the traffic management scheme around Brunswick Street - however this has been in place for many years and works well. Like Broomhall Road, this has a cycle contra-flow but with a lot less space available for cyclists to pass motor vehicles - nevertheless this has been in place for many years with few problems.

It is hard to feel sympathy for those who complain that a new scheme means they have to walk a bit further to reach their destination. Meanwhile, although you said “cyclists” are not using the scheme, you only managed to find one. Personally I use part of this route every day and cannot say I have found it to be more dangerous. As ever with a new scheme some people are ignoring it and going through the no entry signs but they will soon change their habits especially if there is some enforcement coupled with community action. Dexter Johnstone of CycleSheffield has posted videos of the route taken at peak time that show that it is actually a very quiet street. Increasingly, parents are using innovative solutions like bike trailers, child seats and cargo bikes to get their kids to nursery.

Also this is only part of an cycle route to connect Hallam University’s City Campus with the Collegiate site, not an entire £1m scheme.

If anything, the scheme has not been ambitious enough - a segregated cycle route could have been provided but this would have entailed removing more parking spaces and I have no doubt you would have been able to find someone who would complain about that.

Most people agree that Sheffield has serious problems with congestion, air quality and low levels of active travel but as soon as someone actually does something about it all some people think about is their own personal convenience.

Simon Geller

Sheffield 11

Non-footballing public like it that way

It is not surprising that Ecclesall Rangers view the possible return of football to these fields from a football-centric perspective. But look down the other end of the telescope.

Over a five-year period the public open space here will be hemmed in by three housing schemes, a drainage project and a new secondary school, with all the attendant extra demand. The football club wants to fence off the largest remaining undeveloped area for a single activity, focused on a Sunday morning, for a narrow age and gender range.

Aesthetically it would resemble a medium security prison. It is not quad bikes or dog walkers who spoil the area for football but football which spoils it for the rest of us. From August to May each year much of it is turned into an ugly, impassable, swamp strewn with empty drinks bottles and plastic tape.

This winter, in the absence of football, what’s left of these fields has been a quiet, clean, green oasis. The great majority of the non-footballing public like it that way.

Tony Grapes

Local Resident and Fields User

Current tag of “the city that cuts down trees”

Sheffield Green Party would like to thank the 22,552 people who voted for Green candidates in the council elections. Plus the 20,339 who gave their first preference votes to Green candidate Rob Murphy in the mayoral election.

Labour won a council seat from UKIP. But they lost to opposition parties in all the close fought ward contests. Greens won in Broomhill and Sharrow Vale, City and Nether Edge and Sharrow. Lib Dems won in Crookes and Crosspool, Mosborough and West Ecclesfield. If voters want to see a completely different council, they will need to continue to support opposition parties.

Voters sent messages to the Labour-run council on their lack of openness, honesty and trustworthiness.

Messages on hiding behind secret PFI contracts and decisions made before sham consultations. Street trees and the Amey contract dominated but this was also about the Central Library, Heart of Sharrow and more decision making.

Bryan Lodge has gone and there have been significant changes in the cabinet. Will we see a new willingness to listen to those who elect them who have been ignored for too long? A new willingness to listen to the experts who unanimously declared tree felling environmentally disastrous and serious talks with tree groups? Surely Labour want Sheffield to be known positively nationally, not the current tag of “the city that cuts down trees”?